WCP2245

[1]

12 Victoria Road

Kensington

London W.

May. 6^th 1870

My dear Sir

The translation of the enclosed curious letter¹ is the following, but I feel obliged to say in advance that this poor old man seems rather foolish to me and that you need not at all take a notice of the letter.

Regensburg 17/12. 69.

Dear sir

A letter of R Felder² induced me to address you by hereby, hoping that you will find somebody who may interprete [sic] you my German. It is true I read English quite easily if it is written distinctly, however at my age of 70 years it is no longer possible for me to write it. Also to write French causes me trouble, nor can I always express myself perfectly in it.

Of my works I enclose for the first 1)³ a few of the papers collected from the former summaries of our "Correspondenzblatt"[,] further 2) a copy of the treatises that already appeared in 1847.^4,5 If you do not possess my larger work: Systemat. Beart.⁶ VI vol. with 26 coul. [sic] [coloured?]. and 36. black plates and do not wish to procure it, I could communicate the 6. vol. with the 36 black plates alone. Also [2] in the subjoined "Correspondenzblatt" for collectors you will find something about Systematism.

3) The papers commenced on the time of appearance of Hübner's Plates⁷will give to the savants of priority (!) a good many things to consider. The conclusion which speaks also about my own writings, I shall send to you immediately after printing being done.

4) The enclosed Prodromus⁸ will only be finished at the end of the winter for the Rhopalocera.⁹ For the connaisseur [sic] of so immense material as you are it will indeed appear extremely defective. I think that the treatise promised by Kirby^{10, 11} will make it superfluous.

5) a-o Cubaner (?)¹² [sic]

6) Pag[es][?] 3. 4 of the enclosed systematical index you will find all my papers with prizes. I should also give them in exchange, although I prosess [sic] [possess?] nearly all writings in which I take an interest for the present. I would care much better to obtain the greatest possible material of exotic Lepidoptera of the groups Lycaenidae, Hesperidae, Heteroceridae [sic]¹³. Not at all making splendid collections and not caring for luxurious specimens or unicae[?], but being satisfied with bad [3] specimens, provided they will enable me to examine them with respect to systematic arrangement, — it might be possible that you could transmit to me in exchange some species otherwise not saleable; I observe beside that large Sphingidae, Saturnidae etc. interest me the least and that I possess only a few except Americans.

7) Lastly I will subjoin what was published about "Cubaner" (?) [sic]; further slips out of a "Correspondenzblatt".

If you could contribute some thing to sell of my works and of my large stores of european [sic] Lepidoptera, you would oblige me greatly. Of the syst. Index 1862¹⁴ I can send still a few more copies.

Yours | Dr. Herrich Schaeffer sen.[?]^{15, 16}

I think you will not find my words in the beginning of my letter to [sic] hard after having read these gossips[?], nevertheless I feel a great pleasure to be of any use to you [4] and hope you will always in similar cases make use of my services.

Please give my compliments to Mrs Wallace and believe me

Yours sincerely | A B Meyer [signature]

Alfred Russel Wallace Esq.